FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions 

Finding a research lab that interests you is easy! The most important step is exploration. One resource that is helpful in that exploration is the Psychology Look Book, which highlights our faculty and their research areas. Another way to explore is by looking at research lab websites. It is worth browsing through the faculty websites and published research articles to understand their research focus. Students sometimes find the faculty who teach their favorite courses tend to be a good fit for their research interests. More tips from other Psychology majors are included in the Student Panel.  

Students are encouraged to begin looking for a Research Lab opportunity just prior to the start of registration for the upcoming term. Generally, this would be starting in October/November for the Spring semester and March/April for the Fall semester. However, keep in mind that faculty RA needs may change, and finding positions after the start of a semester is even possible and quite normal. While most students secure a RA position and register in the first 2 weeks of the semester, later registration is possible for Directed Research.

• RA is short for Research Assistant (you!) - the student working in a lab with a faculty mentor or other research lab supervisor.

• PI is short for Principal Investigator; primarily this will be the faculty mentor in a lab. It is the person responsible for the preparation, conduct, and administration of a research grant.

• A research grant is the funding for a research project; in psychology, common sources of grant funding include the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The best thing about psychology is all the different ways that humans can be studied. This means that there are a lot of research tasks and it can be hard to narrow down exactly what you might do in a psychology research lab. Ultimately, the will vary based on the lab scope and needs. However, more common RA tasks include:

• Recruiting and/or debriefing study participants

• Collecting, coding, entering, and/or analyzing data

• Securing literature sources

• Participating in lab meetings

Once a lab position is secured, you will work with your faculty mentor or project supervisor to fill out the online Undergraduate Research Contract (this link is for students only, faculty should contact our office for faculty log-in). The contract is intended to clarify the academic components of the experience, the specific lab duties required of you, and how your work will be evaluated. Once you have the faculty approval on your contract, our Psychology Advising office will work with you to register using a permission number for your specific lab.